Erik ten Hag has been fighting a battle at Manchester United which ended up spelling the end for his predecessors.
Jose Mourinho was the most high profile Manchester United manager to fall victim to player power back in late 2018.
Results and performances were poor, yet the inescapable facts were that his stars had downed tools. His interim replacement, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, quickly found them to be capable, as he immediately won his first eight games.
The same players would eventually cave in on Solskjaer in 2021. By time he was fired, the dressing room was rife with rumours of discontent, which spilled over into Ralf Rangnick‘s time as interim boss.
Erik ten Hag has immediately tried to put his stamp on Manchester United. He won a high profile battle with Cristiano Ronaldo, before Jadon Sancho was turfed out of the club earlier this year.
But these problems are ongoing, prevalent at a club of Manchester United’s size, and only a couple of bad results away from resurfacing.
Sir Alex Ferguson changed Manchester United culture
When Sir Alex Ferguson took over at Manchester United in 1986, replacing Ron Atkinson, he inherited a team in need of a major shake-up.
It took Ferguson years to get it right on the pitch, four to win his first trophy, and eight years to win the title, before the floodgates opened.
But it wasn’t really until the mid-90s until Ferguson’s real change came into effect, when the Class of ’92 broke through, and he dismantled part of the old guard, and began to cut away the drinking culture at the club.
Former striker Mark Hughes told The Telegraph in 2013: “There is a remorselessness to him which is almost certainly a result of his upbringing.
“That remorselessness showed in the way he took control of Manchester United: he instilled discipline, breaking up the drinking culture – something that was prevalent in all clubs in the 1980s – and introduced a real shift of emphasis.”
Erik ten Hag problem is even more challenging
Erik ten Hag has a different type of problem to face, one which Ferguson was beginning to battle late in his managerial career as he clashed with Wayne Rooney: Player power.
Ferguson famously won his battles with players and agents, throwing anyone out the door who did not tow the line.
Erik ten Hag was praised in his first season at Manchester United for the way he dealt with any unrest or ill-discipline.
But the problems keep on arising. Even the player he guided through into the first team, and has used in every single matchday squad this season, Alejandro Garnacho, has demonstrated some discontent.
This came as the winger ‘liked’ tweets critical of the manager after being substituted early against Bournemouth at the weekend.
Tackling the social media generation of players is a major challenge. These are a trigger-happy bunch, willing and able to use their ability to connect directly with millions of fans, to express their unhappiness or frustration.
Others will choose to take a more sly approach. See the report from The MEN that several players are delaying decisions on their future at the club, in anticipation Ten Hag could be sacked.
This is the type of self-destructive culture Manchester United’s manager needs to destroy, if the club are going to be successful long-term.
The main objective for Erik ten Hag is for results to improve. But this can’t happen if players don’t buy in.
Perhaps the Dutchman won’t last. Whoever replaces him will have the same issues.
It will take a Sir Alex Ferguson like figure to really change the Manchester United culture. Erik ten Hag is trying, but momentum is gathering against him.